The United States said on Wednesday it would “reserve judgment” on Pakistan’s peace deal with pro-Taliban militants, and would monitor how effective it is in stopping attacks.
“We’ll see. We’ll reserve judgment on these things,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters when asked about the deal for Swat valley. Success in fighting militancy involves not just security, but also political and economic measures, he added. “What you have to do is get the right mix of elements,” McCormack said.
“What we don’t want to see is any sort of effort that results in the violent extremists, militants being able to use” the northwestern region “for the purposes of planning and launching terrorist attacks,” McCormack added.
McCormack acknowledged problems with past agreements, but hesitated to say they were similar. The previous deals “have not resulted in a diminution in the influence of those who are committed to the use of violence in those regions,” McCormack said.
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